Port-au-Prince, Haiti, November 6, 2017: The Chamber of Conciliation and Arbitration of Haiti (CCAH) and El Centro de Resolución Alternativa de Controversias (CRC) of the Dominican Republic, signed on Tuesday, October 24, 2017, a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to improve the business relations between the two countries. The MOU will enable greater dialogue and exchange of mutual assistance offered to their citizens, according the officials of both countries.

Present for the meeting were the ambassador of the European Union in Haiti, Vincent Degert, the Deputy Executive Director of Caribbean Export, Mr. Escipion Oliveira and several government officials from DR and Haiti.

Importance of international trade and coorperation

“For any country on earth, embracing globalization is no longer option. Cooperation has become a must“ said Wilhelm Lemke, President of the CCAH. According to Lemke, the time has come for organisations from Haiti and DR to “collaborate for purposes of common interests”, hence the need to build the “Haiti- DR Binational Arbitration Platform”.

This platform marks an important step toward better trade relations between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. This new approach puts in place a set of standards of arbitration and conflict resolution procedures, standardization of skills for viable and productive and administrative management. In this regard, CCAH and CRC intend to create a more conducive business environment while amicably managing future disputes with alternative dispute resolution methods such as arbitration and mediation.

“I am convinced that the creation of this space will facilitate the resolution of the trade conflicts that could arise in the framework of the negotiations existing in the two countries,” declared Mr. Ricardo Koening, President of CRC.